Metalplus has invested in a variety of additional plant equipment and introduced new processes at its Robertsham, Johannesburg, repair facility with the dual aim of providing additional services to most of its existing markets as well as enter markets it hasn’t previously served.
TIG Welder Steven Rudd performs valve seat hardfacing on the emergency shut-off valve of a 60MW steam turbine in Metalplus’ plant.
Metalplus has earned a reputation over many years in the petrochemical, power generation, machine repair, mining, and rail & transport industries, among others, for its reliability, accuracy and speedy turnaround times in performing mechanical repairs that include submerged arc micro-welding, machining and grinding
“Our existing repair services embrace a wide range of different processes and involve many items of industrial equipment, but there is scope to include more services and cater to more types of equipment and products than we have provided for up to now,” said Roman Mornau, who initiated the expansion of operations at Metalplus following his appointment as General Manager in September last year.
To achieve these objectives requires a combination of improving some of the business unit’s existing operations and selectively introducing additional processes that haven’t previously been offered but have good potential for development of new business, he points out.
“To achieve this doesn’t require enormous expenditure, but the expenditure involved is more than offset by the extra business it brings in, both in terms of extending our offerings to our existing markets and opening the door to business opportunities in new sectors,” Roman commented.
The main changes that have been put into effect to date are:
l The petrochemical industry, for which Metalplus’ main focus has been providing shaft repairs for turbines and compressors, is now offered additional services that include repair of casings, seals, bushings and impellers and provision of probe track correction.
l The power generation industry, where the business unit’s work has been concentrated until now on the repair of large fans and generators, now has access to the services of TIG welding to execute repairs on valve seats for emergency shut-off and control valves for turbines.
l Repairers of electrical rotating machines, in addition to typically having rotors refurbished by Metalplus, are now offered additional services that include motor rotor fan repairs and a mechanised linear tractor welding manufacturing facility for rib-shafts.
l The mining industry, for which the business unit has previously provided a range of repairs to crusher shafts, crusher cones and gearboxes, now has available to it additional repair services that include hard-facing of shaft-sinking equipment and chrome carbide cylindrical grinding of large hydraulic rams.
l The rail & transport industry sector, for which Metalplus’ work has previously focussed mainly on the repair of large diesel motor crankshafts, now have access to repairs of turbo casings of large diesel engines, including sleeves and bushing inserts.
“The current expansion of our capabilities also includes replacing some of the work we have routinely subcontracted to other companies with the development of inhouse capabilities to perform this work at reduced cost,” Roman stated.
In addition, the business has purchased – and in some instances designed and manufactured itself – a range of specialised tools and process measuring equipment to help it in its drive to further improve the efficiency and accuracy of its plant equipment, which has seen many years of use and is undergoing modernisation to elevate performance standards.
